I once talked to CTO of a quite popular app and he mentioned that he finds it best to ask for all permissions you might need upfront (on first install), even if you don't need them yet. Adding them in upgrades later results in lots of customer support questions (and negative reviews).

It is also telling that OP is bothered by "read your messages" permission but doesn't seem to mind "record audio, take pictures and videos" just below it. Just because it is not new?